


A Trying Day

by GallifreyanOmnishambles



Series: The Knight's Prize Is The Emperor's Gift [2]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Discussion of IVF, Fluff and Angst, Hormones, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mpreg, Pregnancy, Trans Character, Trying To Conceive, trans!hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-24 01:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6136021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanOmnishambles/pseuds/GallifreyanOmnishambles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prequel to A Quiet Night In, this should still be read second. </p><p>Hux believes he is in possession of bad news. He'd really rather blow up another system than speak to Kylo Ren right now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Trying Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rex_Magnus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rex_Magnus/gifts), [shakespork](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shakespork/gifts).



"Do we have the coordinates programmed in for the Naboo System?" Hux demanded a little too forcefully, his terrible morning seeping through into his professional life.

Lieutenant Mitaka shrank back in his seat. "Yes, Sir. But they still have 36 hours to answer our demands." 

"Did I ask you for an ETA, Lieutenant?" Hux snapped.

"No, Sir." Mitaka replied, his voice cracking slightly.

"I thought not." 

Hux sighed to himself, strolling towards the vast windows of Starkiller's Command Centre, trying not to look as agitated as he felt. 

Blowing something up would have been a relief today. 

He'd been on edge for weeks, ever since Snoke had made his request. After two days of debating with himself he'd agreed to do it, his rational mind having listed a multitude of benefits for both himself and Ren, as well for as the First Order. Then the doctors had removed his implants, injected him with pfassk knows what, and everything had gone to hell. He hated the way the hormones made him feel and, like a fool, he'd refused the offered IVF treatment because he was too weak to deal with yet another flood of hormones so soon after the first.

Kylo had been accommodating, more than happy to try via traditional methods, though he insisted on a time limit for the sake Bren's mental health. If they hadn't conceived within six months then the IVF would be attempted in the hope of speeding up the process. The Knight tried his best not to seem eager, intentionally avoiding anything that Hux might interpret as outside pressure, forgetting the pressure that the General applied to himself. Bren wanted this over and done with as soon as possible. 

He'd always been able to tell when he was ovulating- an uncomfortable day of physical heat and spiking libido. When he'd felt it so soon after the procedure he'd allowed himself to hope, and booked a three day leave of absence. It was unheard of for the General to take any time off at all. But the crew hadn't questioned it, at least not to him. Nor had they mentioned the fact that all three days had been spent locked in his rooms with Kylo Ren. 

Ren had called it a honeymoon and been punched for his trouble. It wasn't as if Hux had actually stopped working, he was just removing the need to put on clothing. It was efficient. Though Kylo had objected to Bren actually typing memos mid-coitus. Such a fussy man. The Order could not be put on hold just because of the task they'd been set.

Hux learned a surprising amount of new information about the Force in those three days, mostly how far Ren was prepared to go in abusing it. Surely it was below the dignity of the Force to be used to remove clothing, heat meals when they were to exhausted to leave the bed, or keep your seed trapped inside your lover. Hux had had no idea that there were healing and strengthening properties to the ancient magic. Mostly Kylo had utilised this to free himself of the limitations of the human refractory period, but after that first day he'd also used it to heal Hux' bruised flesh and aching joints. The General had not predicted the true challenge of three days of Kylo Ren's full physical attention. The cool, calming sensation flooding through his skin would normally have been reassuring to Bren. But instead it was just a reminder of all the other bodily invasions to come. 

Despite the discomforts and indignities, Hux had felt confident that they'd achieved their goal. In the five days since then they'd slowed their efforts- either he was already pregnant or it was already too late for this month. In the meantime the Knight had discovered his inner cuddler. It had not been uncommon in the past for Hux to wake in the middle of the night, fearing he was being suffocated by some creature with too many limbs, only to realise he was trapped in the crushing grip of Kylo Ren. Now he'd taken to doing it whilst they were awake. On the sofa or in their bed, he'd do his best to wrap around the ginger man; he followed him into the fresher; kept a hand on his knee or his back as they ate in private. It was stifling. When, the day before, Kylo had actually attempted to place a hand on his back as they walked down a public corridor during an inspection, Hux had come close to breaking the Knight's fingers.

"Stop it, Ren," he'd hissed, trying not to draw the attention of the passing stormtroopers. "I am not your house animal to be petted and prodded as you please. Go away. I will handle this inspection myself. You need to be else where. Don't come to my quarters tonight. I want some pfassking privacy for once."

Kylo had said nothing, simply reclaiming his hand and turned sharply to stalk back the way they had come. He'd even respected Bren's request that evening. Rather than luxuriating in the wealth of space around him, Hux had found the bed rather desolate without his Knight. Even his cat, Millicent, had been no comfort. She'd spent the night looking for Kylo and sulking.

Unfortunately, Ren's absence also meant that he was alone as he had headed for the shower that morning and found those tell tale spots of blood in his boxers. The last few weeks had been for nothing. 

Rationally he knew how unlikely it was for them to have conceived so soon, that there was nothing else they could have done, that there would be other opportunities. But his mind slipped free of its habitual rational moorings and he soon found himself standing in his quarters surrounded by broken glass and shattered furniture. His knuckles were bleeding. There were shards in his feet.

The delay necessary to clean himself up enough to be presentable meant he had to skip breakfast. He'd managed to wolf down a protein bar and some caf on his way to the Command Centre, but it wasn't enough. The emptiness in his stomach joined forces with the cramping lower down to further sour his mood.

His stomach rumbled slightly as he stared out towards the oscillator. He regretted snapping at Mitaka, or any of the crew for that matter. It was unprofessional. It was a display of weakness. It was too much like Ren.

Somehow the Master of the Knights of Ren had conspired to materialise as soon as Hux had thought his name. The General hadn't noticed the doors open or the tread of his boots on the deck. He only became aware of his presence when the man loomed at his side, scant inches between them. The mask always gave the impression of focused attention but now Kylo's body language made it clear that he was studying the General closely. He didn't speak, though there was the occasional muffled noise from behind the mask.

Several tense minutes past, Hux with his eyes fixed firmly on the snowy wastes beyond the windows, Ren focused in turn on the General. Finally Kylo took a step closer, chest almost touching Hux' shoulder.

"Get the pfassk out of my space, Ren," he hissed, glaring, infuriated by this unprofessional display, incensed that he had to look up into that mask. Either his subordinates would take this incident for sexual tension or as a direct challenge to his power here in the heart of his own fierce machine. 

Rather than leaving, or even backing away, Kylo carefully reached up to remove his helmet instead. As he shook out his hair every eye in the room drifted to stare at him. Ren never removed his helmet in front of the crew. Only medical staff, sworn to secrecy. Occasionally he sparred with Phasma and her elite troopers but, since he always wore First Order gym wear to do so, everyone had assumed he was just another stormtrooper captain. The identity of the muscular otherworldly man had been hotly contested amongst the crew, with large sums being wagered on various candidates. All bets were off now though, no one had thought to put money on Kylo Ren. A new betting ring immediately took its place, however, as messages skipped from pad to pad across the Command Centre, wildly theorising as to why the Knight stared at their General with such a concerned expression.

Hux sneered and turned back to the windows, stomping a little too forcefully as he turned. Behind him Kylo leaned closer. And sniffed. Bren's spine went rigid, ever muscle tense with indignant fury.

"Pfassk off," Hux bit out, grinding his teeth, as his nails sank into his palms through the thin leather of his gloves.

"What's wrong?" Ren murmured, his voice pitched unbearably low to avoid the crew overhearing them. They'd perfected this method of speaking with the bare minimum of lip movement across the long years of their affair, but their arguments had always taken the form of professional quarrels or else they'd been reserved for private spaces. It felt odd to Hux to use a language they'd developed for seduction to express his distress. Every part of his life felt odd now. He was uncomfortable in his skin, a sensation he'd thought he'd freed himself from nearly two decades ago. 

"What do you think?!" He muttered, keeping his eyes fixed on the view beyond the window, unwilling to see Kylo's face when he disappointed him. "You're the one sniffing around me like a hound. Its disgusting. I assume you can smell it? That I'm bleeding?"

"Hux. I don't think you are." The man said, with infuriating calm. "You smell amazing."

The General growled low in his throat, he hated that Ren would make him discuss this further. "You're a barbarian. I know what I saw. It's been a long time but it's not something you forget."

Kylo wasn't listening. He was frowning, his head tilted slightly to one side as if listening intently. Glancing down, Hux noticed that the Knight's right hand had lifted towards Bren's middle, fingers twitching slightly as if the Force user was manipulating delicate machinery. Abruptly the movement ceased and the hand clenched. Bren lifted his eyes back up to Kylo's face. His huge brown eyes suddenly seemed far more brilliant than that they had a moment before and his plump full lips twisted against one another. Surely the man would not disgrace himself so far as to cry over their failure in front of the crew?

"If you go and check, you'll see it's stopped." Ren said, carefully, with a more pronounced pause between his words than usual. His eyes shifted constantly, watching every detail of Bren's expression. As Hux curled his lip ready to snap out an angry retort, Kylo regained eye contact. 

"It was just an implantation bleed," he breathed, voice so low it was hardly audible and yet it rang though the General's mind like a bell. "Hux, you're pregnant."

Bren's eyes widened but his sour expression didn't change. Kylo leant even closer, eyes moved around his face once more, noted the slight flare of his nostrils and the slow drag of his tongue as it peeked between his lips. Hux wasn't breathing properly. It would have been so much easier to skim across the surface of his brain, take what he was feeling directly from his mind. But Hux had been trained by Snoke himself- he had no Force sensitivity, but he'd know if Kylo touched too closely onto his mind.

"Bren, this is it." He said as he fought to keep his face as solemn as Hux'. He tried to mirror the man's mood as sympathetically as possible. "This is what you wanted. You can get your body back so much sooner. There won't be months of waiting and worrying. We can get through this and the implants go back in. The first try worked, Hux, please don't... If you don't want this we can do someth..."

"Stop talking." Hux snapped, at full volume. The crew noticeably jumped. They'd all been staring but only one of them had realised their commanders were having a conversation. The General shifted slightly on the balls of his feet as he turned to look down the length of the Command Centre. In a wave of obedience the crew turned their eyes back to their tasks, Mitaka catching his jaw on the edge of the console he'd been leaning around. Narrowing his eyes, Hux paused a moment longer, then turned back to the windows. 

"You're certain?" He said, reducing to a lower volume but unwilling to go back to their murmuring. He already knew the answer. It would become public knowledge eventually. He would not appear to be ashamed.

Ren was watching him. "Yes."

"It will survive?"

"The Force tells me so." He said softly. His face was still twisting, his lips still fought against an urge that Hux had mistaken for sadness. One that Ren had rarely had the opportunity to indulge in before. "The Force has shown me so much, Hux." 

"You can smile if you like, Ren." Hux said, raising an eyebrow. "Before you explode. You're right. This IS a good thing. Just. Unexpected."

Kylo sighed loudly and the crew were once again fixated as the huge man shakily broke into a brilliant tooth-glittering grin. Fingers flew across pads as the rumour mill lurched into overdrive. First Kylo Ren removed his helmet, turned out to be gorgeous, behaved completely inappropriately with the General, and now he was grinning like a pet receiving its first treat. The rest of the far flung Starkiller crew, who were receiving these ridiculous messages, refused to believe their contents. Until someone, identity unknown but strongly suspected of being a certain chrome plated Captain, shared several helmet camera images of Kylo's grin. Followed by a single image of the _very_ brief moment that the General actually allowed his face to fold into a small tight lipped smile of his own. There was a collective sigh from the command crew. 

Hux whipped around this time, his greatcoat flaring around him, the effect slightly spoiled by Ren's deep chuckle as the Knight replaced his mask. The entertainment definitely ended for the day, the crew returned to their duties.

The gentle pressure of Force touch drifted down Bren's spine, another brushed over his abs. Keeping his face straight, Hux tried not to twitch. Kylo was brushing the edge his mind, waiting for permission. Turquoise eyes meeting the blank visor of the mask, he granted it.

The voice inside his mind was very different to the tones Ren had been using before. It practically bubbled, exuberant and joyful. If it had existed in the real world it would have shouted.

_I wanna hug you._

"Get out of my Command Centre." Hux murmured. 

_I wanna kiss you._

"I will punch you in the face," he replied, his volume rising a little. Kylo had started to walk backwards through the rows of desks, a barely noticeable bounce in his step. Hux hated him.

_When you get back to your quarters, I'm gonna pick you up and spin you around!_

"I will pfassking murder you, Kylo Ren," Hux called as the other man stopped at the doors. "Get out right now, you ridiculous creature."

As the doors closed, finally removing Kylo from the bridge, the voice in his head had to get in one more statement before breaking the connection.

_Is that really the way to talk when your having my baaaaaaby?_

Hux rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned to Mitaka.

"How long until we can destroy Naboo?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Ummm," Mitaka said nervously fidgeting with his console. "They've just agreed to the treaty, Sir, they're part of the First Order now."

"Oh, frell!"

"I can look through our incident reports, Sir?" Mitaka offered with a helpful look, "perhaps there's another system that urgently needs to be destroyed?"

"You do that, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Sir." He replied, staring intently at the screens as he continued, quietly. "May I offer my congratulations to you and Lord Ren, Sir?"

"Have you ever served on the front line, Mitaka?"

The brunet shook his head, eyes wide.

"Not one more word on the subject, then." Hux said flatly.

Mitaka nodded. He probably shouldn't have sent Phasma that private message. He wondered what the front line was going to be like. At least Kylo Ren wouldn't be there. It'd be nice to go a whole week without being choked.

Oh look, the Dantooine system had allowed a Resistance Base to form on one of their outer worlds. 

Perhaps he wouldn't get transferred after all. His own partner Dex had always responded well to gifts at this stage, hopefully Hux would be as pleased as he had been.


End file.
